CombatSports.org

It’s time for UFC 302 and the pay-per-view (PPV) main card on ESPN. Checkout what happens as Islam Makhachev defends his 155-pound title against Dustin Poirier and so much more.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has touched down inside Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., for the UFC 302 mixed martial arts (MMA) event later TONIGHT (Sat., June 1, 2024), streaming LIVE on ESPN+ PPV. UFC 302 stars Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event. He will defend his 155-pound title against the ever-popular Dustin Poirier. Will Makhachev continue along his path to emulate Khabib Nurmagomedov as one of the most dominant Lightweights in UFC history? Or, will Poirier spoil the party and clinch an undisputed UFC title for the first time in his storied career

We’ll find out tonight.

Before that Lightweight title fight, though, we’ll have two of UFC’s most recognizable faces (and Twitter feeds) battling in the Middleweight division with Sean Strickland meeting Paulo Costa. UFC 302’s PPV main card also features Kevin Holland taking on Michal Oleksiejczuk at Middleweight. Rounding out the ESPN+ PPV is Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov (Heavyweight) and Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (Welterweight).

And before UFC 302’s main card goes down, there’s early and late “Prelims” undercard action for you. Those portions of the event include Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards, Niko Price vs. Alex Morono and Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews. You can see what went down in those matches in our dedicated “Prelims” stream right here.

UFC 302 START TIME AND DATE

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 302 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ early “Prelims” undercard bouts at 6 p.m. ET right here, followed by the late “Prelims” on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET. UFC 302’s PPV main card starts at 10 p.m ET on ESPN+ PPV. Bet on all the UFC 302 action with our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook right here.

Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Makhachev vs. Poirier.” Without further delay, see below for the updated UFC 302 results. (Note: This will go from the top down; therefore, the newest information will at the top of the stream).

UFC 302 QUICK RESULTS

155 lbs.: Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier
185 lbs.: Sean Strickland vs. Paulo Costa
185 lbs.: Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
170 lbs.: Niko Price vs. Alex Morono
170 lbs.: Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
185 lbs.: Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov — Kopylov defeats Almeida via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
245 lbs.: Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov — Almeida def. Romanov via submission (rear naked choke), round 1 (2:27).
155 lbs.: Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki — Dawson def. Solecki via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
170 lbs.: Phil Rowe vs. Jake Matthews — Matthews def. Rowe via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
170 lbs.: Mickey Gall vs. Bassil Hafez — Hafez def. Gall via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
135 lbs.: Ailin Perez vs. Joselyne Edwards — Perez def. Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
125 lbs.: Mitch Raposo vs. Andre Lima — Lima def. Raposo via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

UFC 302 PPV MAIN CARD PLAY-BY-PLAY UPDATES

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 302: “Makhachev vs. Poirier” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive events archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 302 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

Jailton Almeida is back to his finishing ways.

The Brazilian grappling specialist needed less than half a round to work his magic on Alexandr Romanov at UFC 302 on Saturday, taking the hulking heavyweight’s back and securing a rear-naked choke in the first round.

Watch the fast finish below.

Sticking with his usual strategy, Almeida immediately moved to take Romanov down as soon as the opening bell rang. He successfully put Romanov on the mat and took his back to attack with a choke, but Romanov fended off the initial attempt. Almeida powered through and moved into position for a second rear-naked choke attempt, this time earning the tap 2:27 into Round 1.

It was a much-needed win for Almeida (21-3), who was coming off of the first loss of his UFC career. Almeida fought Curtis Blaydes at UFC 299 this past March with hopes of earning a title shot, but saw a 15-fight win streak snapped when Blaydes defeated him by second-round knockout. Blaydes is now scheduled to fight interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall at UFC 304 on July 27 in Manchester, England.

Romanov (17-3) suffers the first submission loss of his career and has now lost three of his past four fights.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

UFC

Watch Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang full fight video highlights from their boxing 5v5 main event showdown Saturday night, courtesy of multiple outlets.

Wilder vs. Zhang took place June 1 at the Freedom Arena in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia. Deontay Wilder (43-4-1) and Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1) squared off in the the main event clash. The fight aired live on pay-per-view on DAZN.

Catch all the video highlights below.

For more on Wilder vs. Zhang, check out the live blog below.

Round 1: Zhang in southpaw, Wilder in orthodox. How long will it go? Zhang takes the center first and moves Wilder back to the corner. Both men handing fighting early, coiled to strike.

Wilder shoots a right hand. Zhang a left to the body. Zhang using that size early to push Wilder around. Both men taking their time. This is all about one, single shot from either side. Zhang shoots a left to the body as Wilder retreats out. Wilder fires a right that misses.

So much pawing from both men. Zhang swings a left up top but Wilder ducks under and clinches. Fast right hand from Wilder just misses. Another miss from Zhang and Wilder grabs. Statistically these men are No. 1 and No. 3 for least punches thrown in boxing and it’s showing early.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-10.

Round 2: Wilder trying to hold the center a little more to start this round instead of retreating to the corner easily. Wilder tries a right hand as Zhang lands a left to the body. Neither man is jabbing. Zhang gets Wilder to the corner and tags him! Uppercut lands and Wilder covering up here.

Wilder fires back and Zhang staying in the pocket. Rough-housing inside and Wilder is playing a dangerous game. He finally pivots out. But Zhang puts him into the corner again and rips to the body. Wilder cannot get backed up like this. Zhang’s size is too big a weapon in there.

Zhang moves him to another corner. Wilder is gunshy. He’s not throwing. Now he sends one and it makes Zhang cover up. But too few. Great lead right hook from Zhang as Wilder stepped out. He keeps getting moved to the corner though and he’s not throwing enough. When Zhang is out-working you, that’s a problem.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Zhang, 20-19 Zhang overall.

Round 3: Zhang moves him around with easy. Wilder’s corner implored him to do something, saying they don’t want him to be a punching bag. For the first minute of this round he is. He’s just not punching. Zhang moves him to the corner, hits, Wilder moves away, and it happens again.

Wilder finally throws a right but Zhang lands a right of his own that has Wilder moving. He cannot stay off the ropes and he refuses to get respect with his hands. There is only one possible outcome if this continues. Uppercut from Zhang in the corner just misses.

I can’t wait to see the compubox numbers. Wilder might have thrown 20 all night long. He is getting dominated in activity by freaking Zhang. He’s going through the motions in what seems very likely to be the final fight of his career.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Zhang, 30-28 Zhang overall.

Round 4: Wilder keeps just pawing his left out there, waiting for a miracle of perfection to show the way for his right. Wilder has landed 9 punches through three rounds. Yeesh. Zhang not lighting the world on fire with 27, but still.

Wilder is settling in this round a little better. He’s staying in the middle more and has thrown a few right hands. Still mostly lead hand shoving, but this is better. UGLY jab from Wilder and Zhang lands a left to the body. Wilder ducks a left from Zhang. Credit where due, his defense has been pretty good. But it’s all he’s showing.

Zhang’s offense has slowed to a crawl as well. He’s getting Wilder backed up but now he’s throwing one left hand that Wilder ducks. This is devolving into sparring. Bad sparring. Wilder lands a right, Zhang a left.

If this is the last time we see Wilder, he’s going out with a whimper.

MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Zhang, 40-37 Zhang overall.

Round 5: If this fight goes to the card, that’s not fun. Both men need to just start swinging.

OH! Wilder does! He comes to life and starts throwing and Zhang is not prepared! He reacts poorly and covers up until a clinch. Not much landed, but the sheer effort surprised Zhang. Zhang gets back into it though and lands a left hook. And Wilder starts to retreat again.

Well, that was fun for a moment. But we’re back to this. Wilder in a corner, waiting to slip the punches.

OHHHH! Wilder gets caught!! Not even sure what got him but Wilder is now stumbling with his back turned! Zhang jumps on him and levels Wilder with a right hook!! Wilder is trying to beat the count. He looks in bad shape though. Wilder gets up at 8 but the ref has seen enough! Clean sweep for Queensberry!!!

Post Fight: On replay, a lead right hook is what hurt Wilder. He stepped in and just a little inside hook dazed Wilder. Then the running right hook when Wilder was stunned was vicious. A free punch and landed perfectly. Well done.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey hosts the UFC 302 pay-per-view event featuring a lightweight title bout at the top of the fight card.  Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev puts his title on the line against former interim champion Dustin Poirier in the UFC 302 main event.  

It could be Poirier’s last octagon appearance.  “The Diamond” isn’t willing to climb the ladder back to the top if he loses to the Dagestani.  

In the co-main event, former middleweight champion Sean Strickland returns for the first time since losing the championship to Dricus Du Plessis in January.  “Tarzan” takes on Brazilian brawler Paulo Costa in a fight that both need to win to stay contenders in the division. 

UFC 302 Start Times:

• Early Preliminary Card begins at 6 p.m. ET

• Preliminary Card begins at 8 p.m. ET

• Main Card begins at 10 p.m. ET

UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier Results and Analytics

UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier Official Results

Main Card

• Islam Makhachev  vs. Dustin Poirier 
• Paulo Costa vs. Sean Strickland 
• Kevin Holland vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
• Alex Morono vs. Niko Price
• Randy Brown vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos 

Preliminary Card

• Cesar Almeida vs. Roman Kopylov
• Jailton Almeida vs. Alexandr Romanov
• Grant Dawson vs. Joe Solecki
• Jake Matthews vs. Phil Rowe

Early Preliminary Card

• Bassil Hafez vs. Mickey Gall
• Joselyne Edwards vs. Ailin Perez
• Andre Lima vs. Mitch Raposo

MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos

UFC

submitted by /u/event_threads
[link] [comments]
MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Jailton Almeida is ready to answer important questions at UFC 302.

Almeida returns against Alexandr Romanov in the main card of Saturday’s pay-per-view show in Newark, looking to rebound from his first UFC defeat after losing to Curtis Blaydes via TKO stoppage. Almeida won his previous six UFC bouts, and was already dealing with criticism following a lackluster decision win over Derrick Lewis four months prior.

Blaydes had only been taken down once in his previous 15 UFC fights, but Almeida was successful in nine of his 12 takedown attempts in his first five minutes against Blaydes. He couldn’t capitalize with a finish, however, and Blaydes stuffed Almeida’s sole takedown attempt in the second round before finishing the Brazilian talent with hammerfists.

“The Curtis Blaydes fight taught me a lot about ground control,” Almeida told MMA Fighting. “That was the only thing missing. We’ve worked a lot on that part so I can put it into practice [at UFC 302]. We’ll see how the fight plays out. If [Romanov] comes to grapple, we’ll grapple too.”

Almeida admits he’s putting pressure upon his own shoulders going into UFC 302 to prove a point and win back the fans who enjoyed the finish-heavy style he employed early in his UFC career, dominating and stopping opponents and barely getting hit in the process.

“We’ll come out with his victory Saturday to show the fans we’re still in the game, that we’re still going for the title, still climbing the ladder,” Almeida said. “It’s going to be a great show. I’m taking that in consideration. I have to put on a great show after what was said after the loss. I have to go in there and show my power.”

After starting his UFC career by jumping between heavyweight and light heavyweight, Almeida is committed to staying at heavyweight moving forward, and is gaining mass in the process. The Brazilian weighed 224 pounds for his first UFC heavyweight appearance but ballooned up to 241 pounds for the Blaydes bout. Almeida tipped the scales at that same weight at UFC 302, and hopes to reach his goal of 253 pounds in the future.

Romanov is a big heavyweight, measuring in at 264 pounds for his past two bouts against Alexander Volkov and Blagoy Ivanov, but Almeida sees him as a great matchup style-wise.

“Tybura took him down,” Almeida said. “Volkov stopped his takedowns and took him down and finished with ground and pound, knocking him out. Ivanov also took him down, but [Romanov] got back up because Ivanov didn’t go for it.”

Almeida sees the UFC heavyweight division as still a bit too messy to predict a likely next move on his climb back to title contention. Blaydes, his UFC sole nemesis, will now challenge Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight belt at UFC 304 in Manchester.

“I don’t know what’s next because division is too confusing,” Almeida said. “We have to wait and see what will happen. Ciryl Gane is doing a movie, like he said, and we have to wait and see what he says. And what the boss will say too. We’re waiting.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Dream fight
| BJPenn.com

UFC